Lakers Rumors: Los Angeles Must Act Decisively Before D12 Escapes to Brooklyn

After the Dwight Howard talks between the Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic broke down, it seemed like the Los Angeles Lakers were the only game left in town.

That may not be entirely true.

According to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, there's still a chance the larger-than-life center ends up with his original preference in Brooklyn:

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Without a deal that would deliver him to the Lakers in the near future, sources said Howard wants Henningan to revisit trade talks with the Brooklyn Nets in January, when center Brook Lopez is eligible to be traded.

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Orlando general manager Rob Hennigan will ultimately have to decide whether the Nets can offer a better package than the third-party teams needed to facilitate a deal with the Lakers. Should Howard go to Los Angeles, the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers are among the teams most likely to help swing a deal, according to ESPN's Ric Bucher. 

Since the Magic aren't interested in rolling the dice for another fickle star, they'd prefer a package stocked with draft picks and young assets to one built around the Lakers' Andrew Bynum.

If it's ultimately a choice between the resources at Houston's, Cleveland's and Brooklyn's disposal, Orlando's front office may opt to wait things out and incite a bidding war.

While that would create some unfortunate distractions amidst the organization's rebuilding process, it could be worth it if the Nets' return to the table in January drives Howard's price back up.

From Los Angeles' standpoint, acquiring Howard reportedly remains a very real possibility. 

According to ESPN's Chris Broussard and Ramona Shelburne, the Lakers haven't had a difficult time imagining Howard in Purple and Gold:

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The Lakers' position on Howard has remained relatively unchanged for the past few months, league sources familiar with the situation have told ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Lakers always have been willing to trade for Howard without assurances he'd re-sign with them after the season, believing that once Howard experienced a championship culture, he would want to stay.

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The Lakers may need to act fast, though.

The risk of losing Howard to the Nets is a good reason, but it's not the only one. While the Magic can afford to endure another season of distractions, the Lakers don't need that kind of thing hovering over a title push.

If general manager Mitch Kupchak isn't willing to go all-in to make this deal happen, he should decide as much now and spare the organization another campaign of ongoing rumors. Leaving the door open after training camp starts isn't the way you want to start the season.

Given that key pieces like Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash won't be at the top of their games forever, winning sooner rather than later is a priority.

If Kupchak is determined, however, to make Howard a Laker, now is the time to do it. One way or the other, the franchise must act decisively.